


Bitter Step

by jellyfishing



Category: Original Work
Genre: Abuse, Age Difference, F/M, Kidnapping, Rape/Non-con Elements, Stockholm Syndrome, Torture, Yandere
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-15
Updated: 2019-02-15
Packaged: 2019-10-29 07:20:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17803547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jellyfishing/pseuds/jellyfishing
Summary: Coffee shop AU of some OCs! Extremely self-indulgent.





	Bitter Step

**Author's Note:**

> don't read this lmao

Religion is nothing but a silly belief in the pretend for those who live in fear to hide behind when the inevitable truth of death is waved in their faces. Nothing, zip, nada. Once you flatline, there's nothing waiting for you beyond the cold, eternal darkness. Anyone who believes anything else is a fool and should be pitied at most. Kaede had always followed this line of thinking, turning his nose up at any sort of invisible being since he was a child. Those who run from any other truth are labeled as cowards and yet those who can't handle death are seen as saints? He could pull his hair out over the frustration these hypocritical people bring. Society is disgusting and makes his stomach turn on a daily basis.

Every last person on this Earth deserves to be purged... except for her.

The angel who dares to contradict his beliefs and haunts his dreams with a smile. She's the very example of purity and hasn't dared to let him down yet. _Yet._ Deep down he knows she's just waiting for her right moment to strike. Shatter her image with sugary sweet words and turn her back on him like she never meant a damn thing. Although she doesn't know it, she's his entire life. Had it not been for her, he'd probably gone insane by now. It's a love unlike anything Kaede has ever felt before or ever will feel -- and he's sure of it. He wants to destroy the god she came from and take that place so she'll only ever look at him and listen to him and only breath because of His command. The thought makes his heart swell so much it feels as if it'd burst and leave his deepest wishes ungranted and that just cannot happen. No one will get between him and his reason for living.

* * *

 

Every day is the same. A strict routine allows him to pass each day smoothly and the monotony makes it easy to forget anything that isn't important - which happens to be about 99% of his day. Wake up, take care of hygiene, eat breakfast, read through the news, get dressed, walk to work, suffer through a coffee-scented headache for six hours, see the love of his life, finish his shift, go home, do everything in reverse. He's not sure why he ever decided being a barista at some forgettable cafe was the occupation to go with, but it was conveniently nearby and matched his open schedule well. His good looks make him popular, much to his chagrin, and all the employees enjoy his work ethic. Had he cared enough about the establishment, he could've easily snaked his way up the ladder into some sort of high-standing managerial position. That means not working the floor and not seeing the one thing that keeps him going, so he keeps his head down and his mouth shut and only smiles when it's necessary.

2:30 PM is when Kaede finally begins to look alive. Today was indistinguishable from any other with the same boring people orbiting him like flies on shit. Regulars coming in to feed into their addictions, coworkers pretending they have a meaningful relationship and plenty of names and faces he'd already forgotten. Once he takes his hundredth look at the clock and sees that he's only 25 minutes away from the peak of his day, the dark cloud around him begins to clear.

"Ah, there he is. See? I told you he's not a robot!"

"Jeez, I've never seen someone in a bad mood for that long. Isn't it scaring away customers?"

"Nah, he's too hot for anyone to really care. They probably think he's some misunderstood bad boy."

"I wish I could be like that! I'm grumpy all the time and the manager yells at me to lighten up!"

Two of his younger coworkers gossip behind him well within earshot, earning only a slight glance over the shoulder from the man. He's unsure if they wanted him to hear but he can't bring himself to care either way, it's not as if they're worth his time. Any second not spent staring out the door is a second wasted. What if she walks by today and chooses a different cafe to visit? The possibility of missing any clues of her life makes his blood run cold. Every day gives him a new piece to her puzzle and he can't dare to lose a single one. Not now, not before he's made any sort of definite plan of how to secure their life together.

His heart skips a beat each time he catches a glimpse of a girl with brown hair walking past the store, making him grip the edge of the counter and lean forward almost every time to assure it's not who he's looking for. 2:55 is when he becomes the most erratic, as it's the average time that she comes in. Some days are later than others and, once in a while, she'll catch him by surprise and come in much earlier than expected. He aches to know what circumstances in her life decide when she comes and goes, but he knows better than to ask such invasive questions on the clock. Despite not knowing much, he can tell she's like a small prey animal. Delicate, shy, and needs some coaxing in before he can snatch her up. Get too bold too quick and she'll run away.

Just as he begins daydreaming about her acting like a small rabbit caught in a trap, the bell over the door jingles. A young girl walks in, smiling as bright as the summer sun. She's just shy of five feet and doesn't look any older than fifteen years old. Fluffy brown hair hugs around her shoulders and down her back with large waves that his eyes could trace over for days. Big, brown eyes tell of all of her innocence and look up at him with trust that makes him feel as if he could break down sobbing right there. Such a simple, sweet girl who couldn't possibly do anything wrong. 

_Until she does,_ sings a croaking voice in the back of his mind.

He shakes it off and beams down at the girl walking up to the counter. It could be his imagination, but he swears there's a ray of light following right behind her, illuminating each step she takes inside.

"Good afternoon, Kaede-san!"

This girl is Momoko Aihara. His obsession, his reason, his everything. Hearing his name come from her lips evokes a feeling he's sure these religious nuts are looking for when they ascend up to their sacred heaven - a weightless sort of happiness that pours joy into the very core of his soul. If only he could keep her on a shelf and hear it all the time.

"Aihara-san, right on time! Good to see you again. The usual?" He asks, flashing her a charming smile that he had practiced for weeks. Charisma is a skill easily learned and even more easily parroted. No one has to know of the dark thoughts that make up the murkiness of his mind. All he has to do is smile and say something everyone wants to hear, though he only acts in front of Momo so as to not scare her away. She seemed to be a fan of it from the beginning so he has no plans of stopping any time soon.

"Yes, please! And, um," she pauses, glancing over to the glass case filled with red and pink desserts. Her hands instinctively raise up to her chest in loosely balled fists and hover there until she points at a cake pop. A nervous habit he's already made note of, recognizing that she does this almost every time she decides to try something new. "This one! It's so hard to resist this time of year, all the sweets look so cute... S-so I'm getting it out of my system now!" She rambles on, sheepishly defending herself to the cashier for no particular reason. His heart feels like it could beat right out of his chest at the painfully honest display. It's no surprise that a girl her age would be worried about her weight or something trivial like that. She has every right to have a sweet tooth and he can't help but indulge her to the best of his ability.

"They've been selling pretty well for just starting to be advertised. You're smart to grab one now before we start running out of them before twelve o'clock. Although," he leans in and lowers his voice some, making it a point to look around with some exaggeration, "I could put one aside for you if you end up liking it. Don't tell anyone though, okay?" A bold move, yet it had been weighed with careful consideration over the matter of a few moments. She had been a regular for enough time now that blatant special treatment felt like it'd be okay to do, similar to an old lady running a sweets shop slipping a cute kid extra candy with a sly wink and a smile; Harmless and an easy way to gently coax their relationship to a higher level. By the way her eyes begin to shine and her whole body seems to follow her shoulders on their way up, it's clear he hit the nail right on the head.

"You'd really do something like that for me? Er, um, I mean-- if it's okay! I don't want you getting in trouble over it or anything! Thank you very much!" She quietly squeaks back, bowing low enough that she almost hits the tip of her nose on the counter. It takes the resistance of just about every muscle in his body to not reach forward and pet the top of the head that was so kindly presented to him. Not only to praise her untainted purity, but also for the fact that her hair looks incredibly soft from this close. The idea of doing so and a strand of her hair clinging to one of his fingers as he pulls his hand away... It's a dream. So close, yet just out of reach. All he can do is ring her up and keep wearing the same smile that's been on his face since the moment she walked in.

Turning his back on her is a painful act, but he doesn't trust a single other soul to fulfill her order to his standards, otherwise, he'd put the useless wastes of air behind him to work for once. Her favorite drink is an iced green tea latte, no matter the weather. He can vividly recall the day she came in on a particularly rainy day and asked for the same thing as always, only to be matched with an arched brow from his end. The way her cheeks immediately turned red and how much she tripped over herself trying to justify her choice just made him fall even deeper in love with her. He tries to keep his facial expressions under control so as to not fluster her too often nowadays.

No matter how busy, he'll always set everything else aside to handle her simple order as part of an elaborate plan to ensure she returns to him. A young girl like her shouldn't be able to handle anything bitter just yet, so he adds extra milk and a touch of cream to soften the bite of the matcha. As far as she knows, there's nothing out of the ordinary done to her drink so if she tries to get it elsewhere, she'll only be confused and disappointed. The cake pops he can't do much about yet, as the owner bakes them in batches at the beginning of the week, but there's plenty of room for additives later if they do end up falling into this routine.

With a flick of the wrist, he adds a small sprinkle of the green tea powder on top and caps the cup, setting it in front of her on the table. A relieved sigh slips past his guard as he turns around and sees her standing there, not having moved an inch from where he last saw her. What a good, obedient girl, doing things she's supposed to without even being told. Before he can tumble too far into his fantasies, he snaps himself back to the present and leans down to look at her through the glass dessert case.

"You can choose whichever one you'd like," he instructs, preparing the wax paper holder to slip it in once she decides. The way her eyebrows raise suggest she didn't expect such a simple act of kindness, yet before he can take in the sight, she narrows her eyes and looks far too serious for such an easy task. It's difficult not to smile, letting a genuine one slip through as he keeps his gaze locked on her face instead of the treats. After a few seconds of looking back and forth, she decides on one with a pink coating and red and white heart sprinkles. He'd never choose that one, as it looked far from perfectly decorated, so he's pleasantly surprised to see her act of charity towards the ugly little thing. With a nod, he pries it off of the tray, into folded paper, and finally into her palm.

"Uaaaah, it's so cute~ Thank you!" She beams, looking over the pop like a curious little bird.

"Of course," he replies, trying his best to hold that smile as he realizes their time together is quickly coming to an end. "Is there anything else I can get for you?"

"Nope, that should be all, I think!"

"Well then, have a go-- Ah, wait! Your card, no?" He asks, quickly reaching a hand under the counter to grab a small stamp.

Just as she began to take a step away, she perks up and scrambles to place her bag on the counter muttering about how correct he is. He can't help but peek into it as she pulls out her wallet and fearlessly places all of the cards she's collected out in the open. Gift cards, membership cards, reward cards for clothing shops and bakeries, all things you'd see in any girl's bag, yet these hold so much more significance coming from her. He can't help but glance up at her face for a moment to read her expression, wondering somewhere in the back of his mind if this is a test. Does she want him to prove he won't steal from her? Perhaps it's a subtle act of submission; showing off a more intimate part of her life without having to come out and say it out loud. She still looks slightly panicked and annoyed with herself for forgetting... Is she truly so ignorant and trusting to just do this in front of him? His future is sure to be bright if that's the case.

"Ah, jeez, here you go! I don't know how it got so buried in here, I totally would've remembered if it's where it usually sits! Sorry about that," she explains, handing over the card half-filled with little stamps. One stamp for each item she purchases, once she reaches twenty the next item is completely free. This is her third card now, having been so astounded by the concept when he introduced it that she made sure to bring it every time since. The fact that it's hiding somewhere irks him, indicating that this place - and him - are falling on the back burner of her mind. Where else is she going that's so important? Are they getting stale so soon? What a selfish little--

His fingers touch something much more solid under the flimsy little paper card. Cold, hard, thin; it must be another card. Something more significant. He has a split second to decide if he should check and give it back or pretend he didn't feel anything and keep it for the future. He looks into her eyes with an intimidating intensity, waiting for her to even have a twitch of the smile to show that this is intentional. A test to see if he's a good person who'll give her belongings back. A prank, even, if she's the type. Yet she looks as innocent as always, smiling patiently as if she doesn't suspect a thing. Adrenaline pumps through his body hard and he has to remember to breathe, forcing his smile a little harder as he takes both of the cards from her hand.

Everything from here on out should be, no pun intended, a cake walk. He goes to do a little flip of the stamp between his fingers for extra flair only to intentionally drop it and drop to his knees to pick it up. Here, he lets the bottom card fall carefully next to his foot, which he places over it as he stands up. He laughs out some silly excuse about not being ready to show off just yet and adds two more stamps to her card, which he then hands back to the rightful owner.

"Have a good day, Aihara-san. Don't forget your order," he teases, waving a polite goodbye as she happily leaves after gathering all of her stuff back up. Kei's eyes follow her until she's lost in the crowd, where they're promptly turned to the coworkers behind him. Did they see? How much of his plan did they know? Both of them are on the opposite side of the work area, bent over the counter on their cell phones, not even bothering to speak to each other. Are they pretending? They almost always act like this, but that's the perfect cover up if they were purposely trying to act ordinary. His eyebrows furrow as he slowly crouches down and reaches under his foot, keeping his line of sight locked on them the entire time. Only their shoulders and thumbs move, breathing and flicking through social media like the simple minds they are. Whatever, they'd be easy to take out if they did happen to see what he did.

His palms are growing sweaty as he holds the plastic in his hand, desperately hoping it's something significant enough for her to come searching for. Taking a long inhale through his nose, he finally looks down and reveals her gift to him. A wide, creeping smile grows slowly across his face as all the information is sent to his brain, flipping it around a few times to make sure it's the real deal.  
Momoko's school ID.

Her picture, what school she goes to, her full name - it's all there on display just for him. He could laugh right now, feeling the joy of superiority bubbling up from his core and trying to scratch their way out. This is their fate, it must be! Everyone else is but a worm beneath him, he was chosen by whatever god is watching to play out his detailed fantasies and wishes! This is the very opportunity he needed to put everything in motion and it was handed to him by the angel herself. A messenger of her own demise.

His thumb runs over a sticker he missed the first few times, dragging his attention back down to his palm. It reads, " **If lost, please contact here: +81-9026547xxx** "

The rest of his shift couldn't go by fast enough.


End file.
